Are These 17 QBs Better Than UCLA's Nico Iamaleava?

Star UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava was snubbed from ESPN's list of the top 100 players in college football, beaten out by 17 quarterbacks across the nation.

Which begs the question, are these 17 quarterbacks better than Iamaleava? Time will definitely tell, but let's go through every quarterback on ESPN's list and what their writers had to say about them.

97.

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt "In his first year in the SEC, Pavia led Vandy to its first bowl win in 11 years, its first win over Alabama in 40 years and its first win ever over a No.

1 team.

He finished 2024 with 2,293 passing yards, 927 non-sack rushing yards and 28 combined touchdowns, and he enjoyed himself enough in the process that he sued for an extra year of eligibility-- and won.

So, he's back!" -- Bill Connelly 89.

Rocco Becht, Iowa State "Becht guided the Cyclones to a school-record 11 wins in 2024 and capped the season with an MVP performance in a 42-41 win against Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

This season will be his third as Iowa State's starter, and he will enter the year with 6,690 career passing yards and 48 touchdown passes.

He'll have a revamped receiving corps to work with, but his experience should keep the Cyclones among the favorites in the Big 12." -- Kyle Bonagura 79.

Avery Johnson, Kansas State "In his first season as a full-time starter at K-State, Johnson flashed glimpses of his dual-threat stardom, most notably against Oklahoma State, when he threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, passing for 259 yards and running for 60 yards.

A former national top-100 recruit and a Kansas native, he is driven to return the Wildcats to the top of the Big 12 and beyond." -- Wilson 70.

Kevin Jennings, SMU "After taking over as SMU's starter in Week 4, Jennings ignited the Mustangs' offense, leading them to a playoff berth.

From Nov.

1 through the ACC championship game, Jennings proved to be one of the most explosive QBs in the country, accounting for more than 1,500 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, alongside an 81.4 Total QBR." -- Hale 68.

Haynes King, Georgia Tech "Is there a tougher QB in the country than King? Georgia Tech fans certainly don't think so.

King played through a painful shoulder injury last season that kept him from throwing more than a few yards downfield at times, and yet he still led the Yellow Jackets to their second straight winning season.

He's the sixth Power QB in the playoff era to account for at least 25 touchdowns, fewer than five picks and complete at least 70% of his passes.

The other five were all later selected in the first round of the NFL draft." -- Hale 53.

Josh Hoover, TCU "The 6-2, 200-pound junior was lightly recruited out of high school and eventually committed to Indiana before flipping to TCU, where he set a school record for passing yards last season.

His 3,949 yards in 2024 ranks second among returners behind LSU's Garrett Nussmeier.

He turned down big NIL offers from Tennessee, among others, to stay in Fort Worth." -- Wilson 52.

Sawyer Robertson, Baylor "Robertson became the starter in the Bears' third game last season and had a breakout year, helping Baylor save its season during a six-game win streak to finish the regular season.

The 6-4, 220-pound senior will enter the season for the first time as a starter and is expected to be one of the best QBs in a QB-heavy Big 12." -- Wilson 50.

Blake Horvath, Navy "Who's the top returning college quarterback in terms of Total QBR? It's not Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar or Carson Beck.

It's Blake Horvath, who finished sixth last season, piloting Navy's evolving option offense to the tune of 1,353 passing yards, 1,298 non-sack rushing yards and 30 combined touchdowns.

With most of his skill corps returning and a reasonably experienced line in front of him, he could produce similar numbers and lead a challenge in the American Conference in 2025." -- Connelly 29.

Carson Beck, Miami "Beck was rated one of the top quarterbacks in college football headed into last season, but he opted to transfer from Georgia to Miami for one final year after some inconsistency on the field then a season-ending elbow injury.

He says he is 100 percent following surgery, but now it is time to show he is completely healthy -- and that the roller coaster that was 2024 is in the past." -- Adelson 25.

DJ Lagway, Florida "The only question with Lagway is how healthy he will be.

He was limited by an injury to his throwing shoulder in the spring then by a calf strain this preseason.

When he is 100 percent, Lagway's ceiling is as high as any quarterback in the country.

He posted a 6-1 record in seven starts last season as a true freshman, and he has terrific awareness as both a passer and a runner." -- Low 23.

Arch Manning, Texas "The wait is over.

In his third year at Texas, Manning gets the keys to the Longhorns' offense as the full-time starter.

He played situationally last season and filled in when Quinn Ewers was injured.

The Horns plan to use Manning's strength in both passing and running.

The 6-4, 219-pound Manning has thrown 95 passes across his first two seasons, with 90 of those coming in 2024.

-- Low 21.

Sam Leavitt, Arizona State "During his first year in Tempe, Leavitt had arguably the best freshman season in school history, setting the freshman record for total offense (3,328) while guiding the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff.

He was effective as a passer (2,885 yards).

But his additional ability to make plays on the run (443 yards) is what sets him up to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2025." -- Bonagura 19.

LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina "Sellers was one of the breakout stars in college football in 2024 as a redshirt freshman, and his impressive close to the campaign mirrored that of the Gamecocks, who won six in a row to conclude the regular season.

The 6-3, 240-pound Sellers is a Cam Newton clone and impossible to get on the ground when he starts scrambling.

Look for Sellers to be a more polished passer in 2025." -- Low 17.

Drew Allar, Penn State "Allar went 23-6 as a starter over the past two seasons, including two victories in last year's playoff.

Penn State's postseason run ended after he threw a late pick, allowing Notre Dame to kick a game-winning field goal and advance to the national title game instead.

Despite that sour finish, Allar's numbers improved across the board in 2024, and he enters this season with the fifth-shortest odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to ESPN BET." -- Trotter 16.

John Mateer, Oklahoma "Mateer was one of the top quarterback targets in the transfer portal this offseason after making a name for himself at Washington State, and Oklahoma was giddy to get him after ranking 94th nationally in scoring offense last season at 24 points per game.

Mateer is a playmaker both as a passer and a runner, and his former offensive coordinator at WSU, Ben Arbuckle, made the move with him to OU." -- Low 8.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU "The SEC's leading returning passer after throwing for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024, Nussmeier enters his second season as LSU's starter after waiting his turn during his first three years on campus.

Nussmeier will have a deep corps of receivers to throw to, including newcomers Nic Anderson and Barion Brown, although the Tigers are replacing both tackles." -- Low 4.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson "Headed into his third year as a starter, Klubnik is poised to have his best campaign yet after posting career numbers in 2024.

His return is one of the biggest reasons many believe the Tigers are poised to make a championship run.

Klubnik also knows it is now or never for him to cement his Clemson legacy -- and add this offense to the record books." -- Adelson Make sure to bookmark UCLA Bruins On SI to get all your daily UCLA Bruins news, analysis and more! Read more on UCLA football and their momentous second season in the Big Ten and under DeShaun Foster here .

While you're here, check out all things UCLA basketball and Mick Cronin improving the Bruins through the transfer portal here .

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @cmorenoNBA to keep up with every story surrounding UCLA athletics! Please let us know your thoughts on this when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE .

UCLA Bruins Latest News.

This article has been shared from the original article on si, here is the link to the original article.